… as you look forward to the day of God …
Summary: How we look at the “day of God” is a good indication of how much importance we attach to our spiritual life. Our enthusiasm for that day reveals whether we are putting our weight on the foot already in heaven or the one that is still on earth.
Do you look forward to the “day of God”? How badly do you want it to be here? Are you aching for the day when the Lord returns, or is it more of a passing interest?
I have to confess that I am preoccupied with living in the “day of Jeff.” You see, every day is the “day of Jeff” for me. I wake up in the morning and — POW! — another “day of Jeff” hits me smack in the face.
Sometimes — usually — this is a good thing. Other days, not so much. A lot depends on where my head is (a figurative statement, mind you. I have not actually lost it yet…). On these other days, I am overwrought or depressed. Life is a struggle because I am burdened with worry or guilt or any number of other overly large, heavy, decaying bags of emotional debris.
Years ago, when “THE END OF ALL THINGS” would come up, I would think to myself something like, “I still have things to do!” And you know what? After many decades of living, I still have things to do!
Now I have kids of my own and grandkids, too. They have their whole lives ahead of them. Should I be wanting to hasten the day of God and end it all?
Do you see the problem here? Have you spotted the flaw in my thinking?
There is an underlying assumption that life in this world is GOOD and that dying early will be shorting me of some of that GOOD that I am owed.
It is an easy trap to fall into. The spiritual realm is invisible. It is hard to see what we will be getting. This life is something that we have in hand. You know the old saying, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”?
Satan excels at showing us “two in the bush.” Adam and Eve had a relationship with God “in hand.” Satan pointed out that they could have that and have their eyes open to good and evil, too. They took their spiritual life with God for granted and lost it. Then they discovered, when Cain killed Able, that seeing evil leads to evil acts.
Moses warned the Israelites against marrying people who worshipped idols. Satan enticed them to marry foreign women. Even Solomon, with all of his wisdom, could not resist Satan’s wiles (Nehemiah 13:26).
A thousand years after Solomon, Judas believed he could take Jesus’ love for granted. He stole from the disciples’ common purse (John 12: 6) and reprimanded Jesus for allowing Mary to anoint his feet (John 12: 4-5). He allowed Satan to convince him that leading the Jewish authorities to Jesus at night would be a good thing (John 13: 27, 18: 2-3).
In your heart of hearts, do you really want to be in heaven right now, this minute? Did not David himself write:
Turn, Lord, and deliver me;
save me because of your unfailing love.
Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
Who praises you from the grave? (Psalm 6: 4-5)
Did not Hezekiah, King of Judah, cry bitterly at the news he was going to die? And God, in his mercy, granted him an extra fifteen years of life (2 Kings 20: 1-11).
It is natural to want to live. God made us that way. What is important is that we keep in mind what it means to “live.” True life, the kind that lasts for eternity, is found only in Jesus (John 17: 3).
At the opening of his letter, Peter tells us:
“So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.” (2 Peter 1: 12-14)
The “day of God” has come for Peter. It is not far off for you and me, either. The question is: Are we looking forward to that day?
Application: Our feelings about the “day of God” coming are a good indication of where we are in our spiritual maturity.
Food for Thought: If your life was focused around the expectation that the Lord was coming today, how would that change what you do with your time?
I think the point you make is exactly why we are told to live in anticipation of His return every day. That is the point of the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25 and why so many other passages prompt us to be ready. How are we ready? I think we wake up every day and determine to live with Jesus on the throne of our heart. It is a daily decision to deny self, take up our cross and follow Jesus in complete submission. Luke 9: 23. We will fail at times (1 John 1: 8 – 2: 2), but the aim is to obey, live for Him, share the truth of the gospel and be the salt and light He has called us to be (Matthew 5: 13 – 16; Acts 1: 8; Matthew 28: 19).
Thank you, Rich!
Nicely summarized!
If your life was focused around the expectation that the Lord was coming today, how would that change what you do with your time?
Looking forward to the day of God, doesn’t mean always thinking He’s coming today. In fact, that would be unhealthy. Telling those who mourn there is only one day without their loved one before Jesus comes is only good if any of us can know for sure when He returns. Same with neglecting cleaning, or bills, or fixing things, or taking care of what has been placed in your responsibility. Because if I knew for sure He would take us into heaven tomorrow, I wouldn’t bother with a garden, I wouldn’t plan my meals for the week, I wouldn’t do the daily tasks because they wouldn’t even be there the next day.
But living in expectation of His day, as in believing He will be coming back and we will be with Him, should look like diligence. Should look like freely sharing the good news, never withholding love, not holding onto bitterness, and yes enjoy each moment with the kids/grandkids/loved ones.
Enjoying what God has given in this world is not a bad thing, as long the things do not become our god. Live all the more like James 4, “if the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that”
A –
You remind me of the story of the “Faithful Servant” in Matthew 24:
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.” (Matthew 24: 45-46)
You are correct that we should not confuse hope and anticipation with the assumption that we know when our Lord will return.
01-06-2022, 2 Peter 3:12a, If your life was focused around the expectation that the Lord was coming today, how would that change what you do with your time?
In my mind I see two comings. One is individually, when our time comes to leave these bodies. The second is when Christ returns to bring an end to all this monkey business on a global scale.
In the mean time we exist in Gods assigned waiting rooms which is not always a fun process.
This past couple years have been faith building years in my home. First we had my Aorta aneurysm. Doctors monitored its growth for several years as we planned for surgery when it reached a maximum, time to burst size. It actually exceeded this size, but this virus issue filled the hospitals and I was placed in a holding pattern for a year. Eventually my doctor went before a board at the hospital and received approval to get me in. My doctors plan for 4 hours in surgery and 4 days in ICU turned out to be 11/2 hour in surgery and 15 hours in a private room and allowed to go home. God is great!
While this was winding down, my wife began having hearing issues, headaches, neck pain and an increasing number of symptoms which developed as we went through 3 doctors with varying diagnoses. The last one ( an Ear, Nose, Throat specialist ) told us she had all the symptoms of a brain tumor but they were normally benign so we should just live with it, and he refused to give us a referral for CT scan and MRI so we could know for certain. I lost it for a short time, made sure he and his clinic knew what I thought of him and I went back to our family doctor who immediately referred us to OHSU. We will meet with a highly qualified Doctor in this field October 24th.
We have both made certain all affairs of this world are taken care of so the one left behind is not burdened. Now we rest! We take time to live in Gods Sovereign Will, let God be God. Continue our Bible studies, take daily walks, admire the beauty He has created around us, talk of His love for us and appreciate all He has provided for us, and share His blessings with others.
Of course we have human emotions and do not look forward to our parting, but we look to the many blessings He has brought into our lives and place our trust in He who controls ALL THINGS.
Ron,
Thank you for sharing. That is a powerful testimony. Perhaps the takeaway here is this comment you shared:
“We have both made certain all affairs of this world are taken care of so the one left behind is not burdened.” — Good advice for all of us.
Hey Jeff,
Good Point. It was a high priority for both of us.
Praying.
Concise, Tim. Yet very appropriate. Thank you!